as in to backfire
to have the reverse of the desired or expected effect
the well-meaning gesture boomeranged, since he ended up being offended by it
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Recent Examples of boomerang
The idea of Miami boomeranging from 7-10 to make the playoffs next year and maybe even end that playoff-victory drought is not be crazy.
—
Greg Cote
january 26, Miami Herald, 26 Jan. 2026
The wild part is how quickly that creator theme boomeranged back at us in real time.
—Dana Harris-Bridson, IndieWire, 16 Dec. 2025
Finding a way to bring value to others always boomerangs in some way.
—Victoria Thomas, Rolling Stone, 21 Nov. 2025
The most blatant of those on Sunday was Kelce converting a great opportunity into a play that boomeranged the other way.
—Kansas City Star, 15 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for boomerang
Greg Cote
january 26, Miami Herald, 26 Jan. 2026
The wild part is how quickly that creator theme boomeranged back at us in real time.
—Dana Harris-Bridson, IndieWire, 16 Dec. 2025
Finding a way to bring value to others always boomerangs in some way.
—Victoria Thomas, Rolling Stone, 21 Nov. 2025
The most blatant of those on Sunday was Kelce converting a great opportunity into a play that boomeranged the other way.
—Kansas City Star, 15 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for boomerang
Recent Examples of Synonyms for boomerang
Verb
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But the measure backfired when municipalities’ collection sites were overwhelmed, leading to stockpiles of unused textiles, and the government reversed part of the rule in October.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
22 Apr. 2026
-
In the 49 shorts starring Wile, the Acme products tended to backfire and malfunction in horrible and often humiliating ways.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
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At Yale University, a committee of professors wanted to know why public trust in higher education had collapsed.—
Steven P. Dinkin,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Apr. 2026
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But after that decent start, their form collapsed.—
Elias Burke,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Under Cook, the company has become less surprising but massively financially successful; some of Apple’s newer products have flopped or underperformed, but far more have become and stayed excellent thanks to years of competent iteration.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Large blooms can cause shoots to flop.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Boomerang.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/boomerang. Accessed 29 Apr. 2026.
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